Semiconductor devices, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices, may include memory cells each having one transistor and one capacitor. Since DRAM devices may not retain information stored in memory cells if power is not continuously applied, these cells may be read and refreshed at periodic intervals. DRAM devices may provide a relatively low cost per bit of memory and a relatively high device density.
As semiconductor devices continually shrink in size, DRAM devices may encounter a variety of problems, such as soft errors and/or parasitic capacitance. Further, problems may arise in the fabrication of DRAM devices. For example, a width of a lower/bottom electrode may become smaller as the integration density of semiconductor devices increases. As the width of the lower/bottom electrode becomes smaller, the lower/bottom electrode may collapse during formation. When the lower/bottom electrode collapses, the resulting shock may form cracks in structures below the lower/bottom electrode. Since a cleaning solution may penetrate through the cracks, the lower structure may be damaged, which may thereby degrade reliability of the semiconductor devices.